Washington thought, and he had a particular gift for expressing ideas in ways that appealed to Washington. Walking the streets of Gotham with his wife after its publication, Hamilton was approached by a vendor (a Revolutionary War soldier) and asked to buy a copy of the Farewell Address. Hamilton obliged, remarking to his wife, “He doesn’t know he asks me to buy my own words.” The Farewell Address is filled with timeless insights. In it, the President urges unity of government, something that “is a main pillar in the edifice of your real independence, the support of your tranquility at home, your peace abroad; of your safety; of your prosperity; of that very liberty which you so highly prize.” There were real threats to such unity. Political parties ranked high. Some believed they were “useful checks upon the administration of the government and serve to keep alive the spirit of liberty.” True to a degree, perhaps, but “The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension … is itself a frightful despotism,” the Address concluded. Encouraging political prosperity was the goal of the Farewell Address, and the author saw no better way than by encouraging religion and morality. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports,” the Address concludes. “In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them.”thefederalistpapers.org/current-events/washingtons-farewell-address
Posted on: Sat, 17 Aug 2013 02:44:30 +0000
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